Facility dogs have been trained, evaluated, certified, and registered by an accredited service dog organization to work with a handler to perform specific commands and goal-directed tasks as well as provide emotional support, therapeutic benefits, emotional well-being, and companionship. The purpose of a facility dog is to provide services to all students; they are not assigned to a specific student and services cannot be written into an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Facility dogs have passed the Public Access Test (PAT) and have public access at all CAIU site locations.

Therapy dogs have been trained, evaluated, certified, and registered to work with a handler to provide emotional support, comfort, therapeutic benefits, emotional well-being, and companionship to students in educational settings. Therapy dogs must hold a nationally recognized therapy dog certification. The purpose of a therapy dog is to provide services to all students; they are not assigned to a specific student and services cannot be written into an IEP. Therapy dogs are owned by the primary handler and provide services to students and staff in the setting where the primary handler works.

A primary handler is a CAIU employee who has been trained, evaluated, and certified to work with a particular facility or therapy dog by the organization(s) identified and approved by the CAIU. The dog handler supervises the facility or therapy dog at all times and assumes full responsibility for the care, custody, and control of the dog. The primary handler is the individual with whom the dog lives and they are responsible to oversee the dog's care, behavior, and assessment of ability to interact with students, employees, and others.

A secondary handler is a CAIU employee who has been trained, evaluated, and certified to work with a particular facility or therapy dog by the organization(s) identified and approved by the CAIU. The secondary handler supervises the facility or therapy dog at all times and assumes full responsibility for the care, custody, and control of the dog in the absence of the primary handler. Applications for secondary handlers who are not employees of the CAIU will be considered on a case by case basis.

A caretaker is any individual identified by the primary handler to care for a facility or therapy dog in the absence of a primary or secondary handler (vacation, illness, travel). Caretakers are not handlers and therefore are not permitted to bring the facility or therapy dog onto CAIU site locations or any other public location where dogs are not permitted.

The Canine Committee is responsible for overseeing all regulations laid out in the CAIU Facility Dog and Therapy Dog Policy and Program Handbook. The Canine Committee reviews all handler applications and handler agreements for approval. Additionally, they collect, review, verify, and maintain documentation for all dogs and handlers in the program. The Canine Committee can assist handlers, program supervisors, site administrators, and the Director of Student Services with questions and concerns regarding the policy and program handbook. The Canine Committee is comprised of current dog handlers and CAIU staff members and administrators who have knowledge and expertise about the use of facility and therapy dogs.

The site administrator is responsible for the CAIU site location and provides site permission for facility and therapy dogs to work. The site administrator is also responsible for communicating with handlers, program supervisors, and the Director of Student Services any concerns that arise on site with the dog and/or handlers.

The program supervisor is responsible for determining if the CAIU employee is eligible to apply to become and primary or secondary handler. The supervisor is also responsible for communicating with the site location(s) and Canine Committee (CC) regarding any issues or concerns with the CAIU handler and/or dog. For facility dogs, the program supervisor is responsible for working with the CAIU employee to develop a financial plan to cover the cost and expenses of the facility dog. Once the facility dog is approved by the CC, the program supervisor is in charge of allocating the necessary funds for the purchase of the dog and ongoing expenses as outlined in the Handler Agreement.

The Director of Student Services is responsible for the oversight of the policy, program, CC, and program supervisors as outlined in the CAIU Facility Dog and Therapy Dog Policy and Program Handbook. The Director of Student Services has final approval on all handler applications and handler agreements. They have the authority to deny or rescind approval for handler applications and handler agreements as well as remove dogs and handlers from site locations.